The present invention relates generally to personalized voice message recording/playback devices for use in association with gifts and greeting cards to selectively deliver a personalized voice recording from the gift giver and, more particularly, concerns a method and apparatus for producing the voice recording in a decentralized and non-networked environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,698 to Johnson, et al. discloses a greeting card with an electronic sound recording that embodies a personalized message for the recipient of the card, including a method whereby the message received via telephone from a sender at a remote location is recorded onto an answering machine at a central location, where it is converted into an electronic signal and programmed onto an integrated circuit. The system disclosed in the Johnson et al. patent requires the voice message to be recorded on the memory chip at the location of the answering machine. Such a solution may be adequate for use at the point of purchase where the card is sold for local delivery, however, if as is many times the case, the intended recipient of the card is remotely located from the point of purchase, then the solution offered by Johnson et al. is inadequate.
Stern U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,078 discloses a system for producing voice message recording/playback devices which includes a central message processor which may be accessed from a plurality of communication links such as telephone lines. A customer records a message using a conventional telephone set and a fulfillment site or delivery outlet retrieves the message remotely and records it onto a memory chip, using a subscriber set. When accessed by a customer""s set, the central processor permits the caller to create a temporary mailbox associated with the gift purchase, in which he/she may then record a voice message. When called by a subscriber set, the central processor permits previously created mailboxes to be accessed and will transfer the message recorded therein to the subscriber set, where it stored in the integrated circuit contained in the voice message recording/playback device.
Such a solution may be adequate for use by a mail-order catalog which has a single fulfillment and distribution center from which all orders are shipped or a number of fulfillment and distribution centers which are networked together. Similarly, such a solution would be adequate for a floral wireservice, Co-op or other association of retail outlets which form a delivery network from which orders placed within the closed network are fulfilled. In an association where each member is connected to the others through a centralized computer and/or telecommunication network it would be possible and even desirable to have all voice messages stored on a centralized message processor and stored under a temporary mailbox which has a dynamically generated and/or serialized transaction ID associated with a particular gift purchase. Similarly, for a mail-order catalog where orders are taken and entered on a central computer network it would be possible and desirable to associate a temporary mailbox with a dynamically generated order number for a gift purchase.
In a networked environment, there would never be a concern that two independent retailers might generate the same transaction ID with which a temporary mailbox would be associated causing the message of one customer to be delivered in place of another customer.
For a centralized mail-order catalog or for a networked association of retailers, it would be possible and even desirable to have the fulfillment site call the centralized message processor to access the previously recorded voice message. In such a networked environment where the outlets are connected by a computer and/or communications network, it would be possible to identify automatically which outlet is closest to the point of delivery and so instruct that outlet to connect to the message processor, access the temporary mail box and transfer the message onto a voice message recording/playback device. Similarly, a mail-order catalog having one distribution and fulfillment center would have no difficulty in generating a schedule of temporary mail box numbers which needed to be accessed in order to ship a complete order of gift merchandise and associated voice message recording/playback devices. The system of Stern is effective, primarily as long as there is a computer and/or communication network linking the location which captures the order and generates the transaction ID with the location which accesses the temporary mailbox and transfers the message into the voice message recording/playback device, the Stern patent is preferred.
Similarly, there are many mail-order catalogs which also have retail outlets and many retailers of gift merchandise which take orders both over the phone as well as from walk-in customers. The Johnson and Stern patents address the needs of a telephone customer who wishes to order a voice message recording/playback device, but they do not address the needs of a walk-in customer who wishes to create a voice message recording/playback device in a store environment and have it delivered from another location. In both the Johnson and Stern inventions the walk-in customer would be required to transfer all payment and delivery information to the sales agent in the store, but would then have to either leave the store to call in his/her message, or inconvenience both the store and him/herself to use a telephone in the store.
In practice, the Stern system and method not only require the use of a central voice processor but also require a minimum of three different phone calls to transfer information and the voice message itself: 1) the customer calls to order gift merchandise, 2) the customer must call [or be transferred] to a dedicated line into the central voice processor to record a message, and 3) the point of delivery must use a subscription device to dial into the central voice processor to retrieve the message. Since each phone call uses sophisticated enhanced switching or processing technologies there is a significant expense associated with either purchasing the equipment needed to process the calls or with paying an outside telephone service provider to provide these enhanced services.
If voice message recording/playback devices are to become a standardized and preferred form and method of sentiment expression it becomes necessary to introduce a system and method which permits independent retailers, vendors and service providers to capture orders for voice message recording/playback devices without a precondition that they are to be a member of an association nor a requirement that they are connected to a computer and/or a communications network. Similarly, it would be desirable that any independent distribution and fulfillment center or outlet set up with a voice message recording/playback device fulfillment station and having in inventory voice message recording/playback devices, could be available to receive a voice message for transfer onto a voice message recording/playback device in a commercial environment.
If voice message recording/playback devices are to be made available to customers who sometimes use a phone to order gift merchandise and sometimes visit a local retail outlet, and if voice message recording/playback devices are to be offered by retailers who sell gift merchandise both over the phone and from retail outlets and showrooms, then it becomes necessary to provide a method and system that is equally accessible by phone-in and walk-in customers.
If voice message recording/playback devices are to be made available for same-day delivery and if a customer or retailer wishes to control the selection of the delivering agent and the quality of the goods and services delivered with the voice message recording/playback device it is necessary for a method and system to provide for the real-time transfer of the customer""s voice message from the point of sale to the point of delivery without the use of a automated computer network.
In conclusion, if voice message recording/playback devices are to be made available by retailers and delivery services of all sizes and levels of technical sophistication and by independent and even non-networked associations, then a flexible method and system for creating and fulfilling the voice message recording/playback devices must be provided which permits voice message recording/playback devices to be created in a manner that reflects the inconsistent buying habits of the typical consumer and that similarly permits fulfillment to be achieved in a flexible manner which permits the voice message to be forwarded from the point of purchase to the point of delivery (call and forward) or retrieved on demand by the point of delivery (record on-demand).
The solutions offered by Johnson and Stern do not address the needs nor mirror the buying habits of the typical consumer or the complexity of multilevel and multi-channel retailers and independent shops and are therefore inadequate.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for the recording, transfer and downloading of voice messages onto voice message recording/playback devices in real-time and directly between two points without the need to unnecessarily handle and transfer sensitive electronics as in Johnson et. al nor by way of a central processor and centralized order entry system such as Stern.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide for a simple and flexible method and system that will permit voice message recording/playback devices to be ordered and recorded during one phone call without the need for expensive switching and voice processing hardware and similarly to provide a flexible system which permits voice message recording/playback devices to be recorded at a point of sale whether that point of sale is accessed by way of a phone call or a personal visit.
It is also a purpose of the present invention to provide a system and method that permits an agent at the point of sale to select independently the point of delivery, instruct personnel at the point of delivery directly and control the time to transfer the voice message from the point of sale to the point of delivery.
It is also a purpose of the present invention to permit the customer to select personally and the sales agent to request personally from the delivery site the maximum recording length of the voice message recording/playback device, the model, package design of the voice message recording/playback device, as well as to select any accessory which the customer wishes to have delivered with it.
The invention provides a low cost and straightforward voice message recording/playback device recording and transmission station which records a customer""s voice message whether he/she orders a voice message recording/playback device over the phone or in person. The invention uses the same hardware to record and create a voice message recording/playback device for local delivery or remote delivery. To record a voice message recording/playback device in person, the customer is given a standard voice message recording/playback device with a special attachment which permits the customer to stand at any quiet location in or outside of the store to record a voice message directly into the voice message recording/playback device.
Otherwise, the customer may use a voice message recording/playback device which is operable by the customer for recording directly thereonto without need of a special attachment. Recording a voice message recording/playback device in such a manner directly mirrors the accepted and common practice of providing a customer with a card so that he/she can write a personal message as he/she walks around a store. To record a voice message recording/playback device over the phone, the sales agent simply inserts a blank voice message recording/playback device into the voice message recording/playback device message processor while the customer is on the line. The sales agent instructs the customer to wait for instruction and then to record his/her message. The sales agent switches the voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor from xe2x80x98Telephonexe2x80x99 to xe2x80x98Recordxe2x80x99 mode. The voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor greets the customer and instructs the customer.
A preferred message processor would also permit a spokesperson at the point of sale to record personalized instructions to customers using the language and dialect of the customer and making reference to and promoting the point of sale""s name.
It is a feature of the present invention that the voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor may be connected to any standard telephone line without the need for a dedicated line.
In accordance with the present invention, a system for producing voice message recording/playback devices includes a voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor which may be accessed over a plurality of communication links, such as telephone lines or directly at the point of purchase. The message processor may be so accessed by means of a customer""s communication set, such as a conventional telephone set, by means of another voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor or directly by a customer at the point of purchase. Depending on the setting of a xe2x80x98modexe2x80x99 switch the voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor will record or transfer a new voice message onto a voice message recording/playback device at the point of purchase or to another voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor remotely located at another point of delivery. When accessed by a customer""s communication set or directly by a customer at the point of purchase, the message processor permits the customer to record a voice message directly onto a voice message recording/playback device. If the customer desires that his/her voice message recording/playback device should be delivered from the point of purchase, the voice message recording/playback device may be removed from the voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor and delivered. If the customer desires that his/her voice message recording/playback device should be delivered from a location other than the point of purchase, the voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor permits the voice message recording/playback device created by the customer to function as a temporary storage device for the voice message. Once the xe2x80x98modexe2x80x99 switch on the voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor has been set to xe2x80x98transferxe2x80x99 and a connection is made with a voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor remotely located at the desired point of delivery, and the xe2x80x98modexe2x80x99 switch on the voice message recording/playback device point-to-point message processor located at the desired point of deliver is set to xe2x80x98recordxe2x80x99 then the message stored on the voice message recording/playback device located at the point of sale which functions as a temporary storage device is transferred to a voice message recording/playback device located at the point of delivery.
A voice message recording/playback device in accordance with the present invention includes an integrated circuit which is a single chip voice message system. In the preferred embodiment, this voice message system permits recordation and playback of messages under the power of a battery which is included on the same circuit board as the chip, and a miniature speaker included on the circuit board permits the voice message to be heard. The voice message recording/playback device retains the recorded message in non-volatile form, and the entire voice message recording/playback device is contained in a housing which encloses the circuit board. A pin or edge connector is accessible from the outside of the housing and permits the voice message recording/playback device to be plugged into the point-to-point message processor or alternatively to be plugged into a special direct record microphone attachment which permits a customer at the point of sale to record a message directly into the voice message recording/playback device.
A voice message recording/playback device in accordance with another aspect of the present invention includes a microphone which permits a customer to record a voice message directly onto the playback device without need of a special microphone attachment. The voice message recording/playback device has a connector to be plugged into the point-to-point message processor.